Aerial turbine-ship.



A. MoLEAN.

AERIAL TURBINE SHIP. APPLICATION FILED 1mm, 1911.

3 SHEETB-BHEBT 1.

WITNESSES:

; n filfum 91 4 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

A. MOLBAN.

AERIAL TURBINE SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED IAILG, 1911.

1,009,915. Patented Nov. 28,1911.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. MULEAN.

AERIAL TURBINE SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.6.1911.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR MGLEAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AERIAL TURBINE-SHIP.

009 915 Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 28, 1911.

Application filed. January 6, 1911. Serial No. 601,086.

the frame is shown in Fig. 5 without the propellers. On the shafts Z are secured propeller screws f, of uniform width of blades throughout their lengths. The shafts have To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, ARTHUR l foLEAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a cerinner end hearings in the hubs 4E and 5, see tain new and useful Aerial Turbine-Ship, also Figs. 2 and 3, and the outer ends of the of which the followi i a ifi tio shafts have bearings in the cone points 30. This invention relates to heavier than air The Shaft? are rotated y means of the aerial ships and has for its object an air el gearing 'Z, 7?, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, The ship that will not only rise and sail i th shafts are supported in the yoke frame we, air, but will also have within itself means to g 2 n 3 par i larly, which comprises prevent its too rapid descent inthe event of the hub yoke ar s 1, 1, hubs 2 and 3 and the failure of the propelling mechanism. hub The hubs 3 of lhe frames Swing "h bj t are tt i d b th means on shafts 22. The shafts Z extend through set forth in th ifi ti d th the hubs l, and the ends are socketed in companying drawings. the l. hubs 5, and the bevel wheels 2' are Reference will first be made to the drawfast on e S a s Z- ings, in which like letters and numbers refer Propeller Screws 9, {Owned hollow to like part in the ev ral i w spirals, are placed over the propellers Fi r 1 i a id l v ti f th i l hese outer propellers g are conical in their ship. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail relating outer contour, being wide at the base with to the raing and lowering of the turbines, an upward taper, their internal diameters Fig. 3 is an enlarged representation of the adapted to the diameters of the inner promeans employed on the pilot turbine for pellcrs. The Small ends of the outer pro- BJ raising and lowering and swinging the turpellers have bearings 52 upon the shafts Z, bine sidewise. Fig. 4 is a detail showing and their large ends are screwed to the inthe gearing for i npnrting pposite nmtiuns side spur wheels 15. The attachment to the to the propellers of the turbines. Fig. 5, wheel is shown at 19, Fig. 1. These pro- Sheet 2, is a plan of the aerial ship. Fig. pcllers are caused to revolve in a reverse 5 6 is a transverse section of one of the prodirection from the central propellers and, peller bearings. Fig. 7, Sheet 3, is an end owing to their greater diameters, at one-half elevation of the aerial ship. of the velocity of the central propellers. The The 'main features of this aerial ship means of accomplishing this result is shown are the combinations of propellers which particularly in Figs. 3 and 4:. The wheel 99 are together herein designated as turbines, 15 is shown in partial section in Fig. 3, and The framing to which the turbines are in plan, also partly in section, in Fig. 4. shown attached, the engine for driving the The wheel 15 is loose upon the shaft Z, turbines, the various appliances for manipbeing maintained in place by a collar Z ulating the turbines and the general arrange- A. spur pinion 16 is fast on the shaft Z. ment of the appliances, are shown in what Upon the yokes m a stud 20 is secured, and may be regarded as only atentative plan. In upon this stud a pinion 17 travelsyits teeth actual practice the parts, or most of them, meshing with the teeth of the pinion 16 may be disposed altogether differently than and the wheel 15. When the shaft Z turns as herein shown, yet the results obtained it causes the Wheel 15 to turn in the opposite will be substantially as herein described. direction, and having half the number of Likewise it must be understood that the teeth of the wheel 15, the said wheel will framing, for the most part here shown to move with half the velocity of the shaft. be heavy, is all to be as lightly constructed, Thus, when motion is imparted to the shaft and of as light material as practicable to the propellers revolve in opposite direcproduce withoutneglecting the requisite tions, with this result: The inner propeller strength and rigidity. revolving in a direction to produce a down- By *eference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that ward current of air in the direction of the within conical frames composed of base arrows s, Fig. 1, the outer propellers more rings 54. and stanchions 11, are rotative a column of air in alike direetimi. Thenir shafts Z. To avoid obscurlng other parts moved by the inner propeller has a tendency the fronts of the base rings are omitted, but

to move sidewise away from the propeller.

The outer propeller from the form of its construction and by reason of its open center, throws the air toward its center. The result is that between the two propellers the air is concentrated into a column having a considerably greater pressure than the surrounding atmosphere, and consequently the propellers will rise upon the condensed air column. In other words, .to express the idea succinctly, the propellers produce a column of air pressure and climb up upon it.

To increase the capacity of the outer propeller to force the air centerward and down- .ward, the blade is given a drooping curve on its outer edges, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be plain that when the propellers are revolving rapidly the column of air pressure will not be limited to the confines of the propellers, but must extend considerably below them. This drawing is made upon a scale of a diameter of eight feet for the large end of the outer propeller.

Fig. 5 shows that the plan herein described comprises three of the turbines, two that are adapted only to be raised and lowered, and a third, a pilot, in advance of the other two, adapted not only to be raised and lowered as to its point, but to be swung sidewise to give direction to the movement of the aerial ship.

Figs. 2 and 3 as already described, show how the turbines are swingable upon their bases on the shaft 22 in Fig. 3, which becomes the shaft 24 in Figs. 1, 5, 7, and in Fig. 2 when applied to the rear turbines, wherein the shaft 24 sets transversely of the frame work supported in bearings r, r, r. This shaft drives the two turbines by the means shown in Fig. 2 and already described.

'The pilot turbine is arranged as in Fig. 3. The yoke m is pivoted in another yoke 2, having arms 6, 6, that support the pivotal shaft 22 for the yoke m. The bearing 12 has an extension 12 underlapping the extension 8 of the yoke 25. The two extensions are united by a pivot 8 Fig. 1, so that the yoke m swings sidewise on the pivot. This admits of the pilot turbine being swung to the right and left, as per the broken lines in Fig. 5. To admit of this swinging the driving shaft 25 is united to the driver of the bevel wheel 2" by a universal coupling 13,14. The wheel 5 drives the wheel 2' The shaft 25 extends longitudinally of the frame, having its second bearing integral with the bearing 27 of the transverse shaft 24. The shaft 25 also drives the-shaft 24 through the bevel gears 71 i The shaft 25 is driven from the bottom of the frame b the engineh through a sprocket wheel 62 on the shaft 25, Figs. 1 and 5, the sprocket 61 on'the engine shaft as in Figs. 1 and 7 and the sprocket chain 60, Figs. 1 and 7.

The main or engine shaft is provided with a coupling 65, operated through levers 66, Y

67, 68, Figs. 1 and 5 for disconnecting the power from the turbines when necessary.

For swinging the pilot turbine from right to left, the yoke 25 is provided with lugs n, Fig. 3, for the attachment of lines that are passed through guide pulleys 71, 71, Fig. 5, and to an overhead capstan 43, Fig. 1, with a hand-wheel 42, Figs. 1 and 5, for its manipulation.

For raising and lowering the pilot a separate capstan 57, with a hand wheel 58, Fig. 5, is provided. By means of lugs 32 and 33 on the ring 54, lines 47, 48 are attached, passed respectively over guide pulleys 41, 40 and 39, Figs. 1 and 5', and around the capstan 57. A like capstan 56, with a hand wheel 44, Figs. 1, 3 and 7, the drum 56 long enough for duplicate lines from the rear turbines, is connected with the lines 45, 45, Fig. 5, passing over guide pulleys 36, 36. The lines are attached to the turbine frames at 34, Fig. 5. These capstans are shown in elevation in Figs. 1 and 7. The line connections are only indicated in the latter figure by broken lines, this figure being given to show a bottom view of the turbines, and the turbines dropped to horizontal positions. They can be raised from any position from the horizontal to the vertical.

In descending from an elevation these turbines will offer such resistance to the atmosphere as to admit of a dropping at a speed controllable by the speed of the engine. In the event of the failure of the engine to operate the resistance of the turbines to the atmosphere will be such as to cause them to revolve and impede a rapid descent. If the turbines remain coupled to the engine the work they perform in driving the engine will still further lessen the speed of a descent.

The right is claimed to vary the forms of the propellers that comprise the turbines, and also, as has already been said, the forms and arrangements of the operating means and devices shown so long as the scope of the invention is observed.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination for aerial navigation, of three turbines mounted triangularly on a frame, a motive power within the frame with connecting means for driving the turbines, the turbines each comprising a supporting frame mounted onmeans for swinging the frames upon the centers of their bases, shafts mounted centrally and longitudinally of the frames, a screw propeller fast to each of the shafts, and a screw propeller encircling each shaft propeller and having bearings upon the same shafts, the two propellers to revolve in reverse directions, one of the three turbines serving as a pilot and adapted to swing sidewise, and means as windlasses at acentral point within the main frame with connecting lines for controlling the positions of the three turbines.

2. The combination for aerial navigation of a screw propeller on a rotating shaft, the screw blade comprising multiple convolutions around the shaft said screw blade of uniform width throughout its length, and a second screw propeller around the said propeller with uniform blades, the outside propeller having a wide base and a uniform taper to its outer end, and means for revolving the two propellers in reverse directions.

3. he combination for aerial navigation, of a screw propeller on a rotating shaft, the screw blade comprising multiple convolutions around the shaft, the screw blade of uniform width throughout its length, and a second screw propeller encircling the said uniform propeller having bearings on the shaft of the first propeller, the said second propeller having a wide base of blade tapering to its outer end, means for revolving the two propellers in reverse directions, the shaftof the said propellers having bearings in a swingable yoke, with means for raising and lowering and of swinging sidewise the outer end of the said shaft, and gearing within the yokes for revolving the propellers at any angle.

4. The combination with a double propeller, that is, one propeller within the other, of a propeller shaft supporting the propellers with means for rotating the propellers in reverse directions on said shaft, a vertically swinging yoke in which the propeller shaft has a double bearing, the said vertically swinging yoke hinged to a sideswinging yoke, a shaft uniting the two yokes, a gear wheel on said shaft engaging a driving gear wheel on the propeller shaft, the sideswinging yoke swiveled to a bearing of a main driving shaft, a coupling shaft in said yoke and a gear wheel on the coupling shaft to engage with the wheel on the shaft that unites the two yokes, a universal coupling on the outer end of said coupling shaft, said coupling engaging with the said main shaft, a bearing and support for said main shaft and a pivot on said support, the side swinging yoke supported and swingable on said pivot, and the vertically swinging yoke swingable on the shaft that unites the two yokes.

5. A machine for aerial navigation comprising a frame, three propellers mounted upon said frame, two of the propellers side by side at the rear end of the frame, the third propeller in advance of and midway between the two propellers, the propellers on rotatable shafts, the shafts supported in swivel supports, a motor attached with the frame, means for transmitting motion from the motor to the propellers, the propellers adapted to have their outer ends vertically swingable upon their swiveled base supports the forward propeller having an additional sidewise swing, and means as capstans and connecting lines from the capstans to the supports of the propellers, for manipulating the propellers.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New day of January A. D. 1911.

ARTHUR MCLEAN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. MORTON, ALBERT PAGE.

York this fifth 

